The Mid-Week brief is an unfettered look at what the press is saying about passenger rail — if you see something you dislike, or know to be inaccurate, don't hesitate to reach out to those responsible for the article by using the comment board of a linked website, or emailing the publication directly.

The VergeLast month, Amtrak president and CEO Joseph Boardman announced he would be stepping down from his position by September 2016. The news came just days after President Barack Obama signed the incredibly important infrastructure spending bill that called for significant reforms to the railroad. Recently, House Republicans issued a letter calling on Amtrak's board to appoint "a visionary" and "dynamic leader" who can help implement the spending bill.READ MORE

Quincy Herald WhigAmtrak service in Illinois will not change through the end of June.
The Illinois Department of Transportation and Amtrak announced that they have reached an agreement to keep in place existing service levels on state-supported routes at a savings to taxpayers and without having to raise fares on the passenger rail system.
Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said the agreement will help keep the state's communities and institutions connected.READ MORE

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KHOU-TVThe company spearheading the effort to build a high-speed light rail from Houston to Dallas promises a competitively priced transportation option and economic growth for the cities.
But the train's path will run through 10 counties, and many residents in those counties say it will come at a price: the destruction of agriculture and land acquired through eminent domain.
It's why dozens gathered at Prairie View A&M recently to oppose the building of the bullet train.READ MORE

Philadelphia InquirerCall it a clash of cultures.
The investigation into the horrific crash of Amtrak Train 188 on May 12, 2015, is proceeding along two paths, and the two couldn't be more different.
The National Transportation Safety Board so far has taken the lead, opening its probe one day after the crash. Its cautious and collaborative approach to rail and aircraft disasters has won praise for encouraging witnesses to open up, but also criticism for seeming to pull punches.READ MORE

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Hartford CourantA proposal that might reroute the Amtrak line in southeastern Connecticut has drawn so much opposition that much of the state's Congressional delegation is asking federal regulators to take a closer look at it.
Old Lyme this winter has become the center of opposition to the proposed construction of 60 miles of new tracks between Old Saybrook and Kenyon, Rhode Island.
"This plan would decimate the heart of our community," Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder told the Federal Railroad Administration in a letter. READ MORE

Fox NewsCalifornia voters embraced the idea of building the nation's first real high-speed rail system, which promised to whisk travelers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours, a trip that can take six hours or more by car. Eight years after they approved funding for it, construction is years behind schedule and legal, financial and logistical delays plague the $68 billion project.
The bullet train's timeline, funding and speed estimates are back in the spotlight for a longstanding lawsuit filed by residents whose property lies in its path.READ MORE

Sussex Countian First State Manufacturing in Milford, Delaware, is no stranger to the railroad industry, having worked on refurbishing seat covers and cutting carpets for railroad cars over the past 15 years.
Now that relationship is growing twofold, as First State Manufacturing announced in late January they have been awarded two nationwide multiyear contracts with Amtrak.
Now, not only will FSM provide repair and refurbishment of upholstered needs for Amtrak, it will also operate a distribution center supplying new cushions for the entire Amtrak fleet.READ MORE

RailwayAgeIn comments filed with the Surface Transportation Board's Ex Parte 726, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on On-Time Performance under Section 213 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, Amtrak says that the only viable method of measuring passenger train on-time performance on a host freight railroad is one that includes intermediate stations as well as endpoints.READ MORE

CBC NewsThe Ontario government wants to see a proposal completed for a Toronto-to-Windsor high-speed rail project by October, according to a London-area MP.
The governing Liberals have been consulting with various stakeholders along the Toronto-to-Windsor corridor this month, as they map out what the proposed rail project could look like.
Karen Vecchio, the newly elected MP for Elgin-Middlesex-London, was at a stakeholders meeting held in London.READ MORE